Department for Transport

Network Rail: Finance

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what changes he intends to make to the funding arrangements for Network Rail; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry: We intend to either remove or significantly reduce the Network Grant by re-routing Government support via franchised train operating companies, which will pay correspondingly higher track access charges to Network Rail for using the network. This change will not affect the overall level of support Government will be providing to rail.   This new approach will ensure that Network Rail focuses firmly on the needs of train operators, and through them, customers.   Working with the Office of Rail and Road, we intend this change to take effect from the start of Control Period 6 (April 2019). We will be consulting with industry on the details.

A595

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will conduct a feasibility study on improving the trunk road section of the A595.

Andrew Jones: Highways England keeps the strategic trunk road network under continuous review to identify places where there is a need for studies to support the case for improvements and Highways England are starting a safety study of the route this financial year.   Highways England will soon initiate preparation of Route Strategies for 2020-25. These will form an integral part of the investment planning process. If potential improvements to the A595 are identified, they will be considered within the next Road Investment Strategy covering the same period.

Railways: Per Capita Costs

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much has been spent on rail services per head of population in each region of England in each of the last five years.

Claire Perry: Total expenditure per regions is complicated to calculate as it has to include franchise cost/revenue, infrastructure cost and major project costs, many of which cross regional boundaries. In this instance, spending needs to be compared to rail usage.  The most recent government expenditure on rail is below:   Government expenditure on railways1 per head of populationRegion2009/102010/112011/122012/132013/14North East£59£58£55£51£50North West£97£98£88£88£85Yorkshire & Humber£95£93£102£100£100East Midlands£45£41£37£38£36West Midlands£61£53£49£50£47East of England£58£54£59£56£56London£386£369£330£270£298South East£85£82£69£68£66South West£49£46£41£42£39England£120£115£106£96£991 Includes expenditure on all types of railway   Source: HMT, ONS The above table shows estimated government expenditure on railways per head of population in each region of England between 2009/10 and 2013/14, the latest year for which figures are available.

Home Office

Radicalism

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to reduce radicalisation of British nationals in the UK.

Mr John Hayes: Protecting those who are vulnerable and at risk of radicalisation is a job for all of us. This is the purpose of the Prevent programme. We have delivered over 180 community-based Prevent projects since 2011. In 2014 we supported over 70 community Prevent projects which involved almost 40,000 people. Our work with social media providers has disrupted online ISIL propaganda, and we have excluded more preachers of hate from the UK than any previous government. We work with hundreds of mosques, faith groups and community organisations. The new Prevent duty that came into force on 1 July will make sure key bodies across the country play their part and work in partnership to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism.

Home Office: Ministerial Policy Advisers

Stuart Blair Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the name, responsibilities and pay band are of each special adviser in her Department.

Karen Bradley: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Parliamentary Question 5983, by my Rt Hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office on 13th July 2015.

Counter-terrorism: Finance

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which search organisations are in receipt of Prevent strategy funding; and how much such funding each such organisation is due to receive in 2015-16.

Mr John Hayes: Prevent works in partnership with numerous organisations who are instrumental in preventing people being drawn into terrorism. Since 2011 we have supported over 180 community-based Prevent projects. Last year we supported over 70 community projects which worked with nearly 40,000 people. We do not provide a breakdown of spend by organisations, as this may impact on our effectiveness to serve the best interests of the public.

Abortion: Protest

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what representations she has received from organisations representing (a) women, (b) parents and (c) healthcare professionals on the intimidation and harassment of women outside abortion clinics.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department has issued to police forces in England and Wales on protecting women outside abortion clinics from harassment and intimidation.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing buffer zones outside abortion clinics to protect women seeking an abortion from protesters.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to protect women who are seeking an abortion from harassment and intimidation at abortion clinics.

Mike Penning: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to 5385 on 13 July 2015. We have received correspondence on this matter from the British Pregnancy Advisory Service.The Home Office has not issued guidance to the police on protecting women outside abortion clinics from harassment and intimidation.

Drugs

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to assess the mood-altering capacity of legal high substances available in the UK.

Mike Penning: The Psychoactive Substances Bill provides that a substance produces a psychoactive effect in a person if, by stimulating or depressing the person’s central nervous system, it affects the person’s mental functioning or emotional state.Psychoactive substances cause an alteration in the individual’s state of consciousness by producing a range of effects including, but not limited to: hallucinations; drowsiness; as well as changes in mood, alertness, perception of time and space, or empathy with others.In preparation for the planned implementation of the legislation in April 2016, we are committed to ensuring that there are mechanisms in place to determine the psychoactivity of seized substances in a timely and effective way.A forensic strategy to underpin the Bill is being established with input from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) as well as the Forensic Regulator’s office to ensure that the quality of forensic evidence is maintained to satisfy the evidential standards in court proceedings.We will put in place a testing regime that is proactive and can also respond quickly when new substances emerge where evidence of psychoactivity is required. We will build a database of substances and evidence of their psychoactivity, supported by the provision of chemical reference standards.The Home Office’s Forensic Early Warning System (FEWS) has a proven record in improving the detection and identification of new substances in the UK, providing chemical reference standards and building capability in the forensic community. Through the expansion of FEWS, the Centre for Applied Science and Technology (CAST) will build on this work to meet any demand related to evidentially assessing psychoactivity. CAST is exploring how we harness existing evidence from the research community, international approaches and published data. As a priority, we will be taking forward the ACMD’s recommendation to develop a system for the biochemical and pharmacological profiling of new compounds.

Abortion: Protest

Mr Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the police have powers to deal with protesters harassing women who are attending pregnancy advice and abortion centres; and if she will issue guidance to police authorities to ensure that they are aware of such powers.

Mike Penning: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to 5385 on 13 July 2015. There are no plans to issue Home Office guidance on this matter.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Ilois: Resettlement

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he plans to announce the Government's decision on possible resettlement of the British Indian Ocean Territory by Chagos Islanders.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The member for Crawley will note from the written answer of 23 June 2015 (British Indian Ocean Territory: Written question – 2386) given by my honourable friend the Member for Rochford and Southend East (James Duddridge MP), that steady progress is being made on the further analysis of resettlement of BIOT. There is no date yet when an announcement on possible resettlement will be made.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Buildings

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 26 June 2015 to Question 3103, when 1 Carlton Gardens was last used as an official residence.

Mr David Lidington: No1 Carlton Gardens is used for official events and functions in support of Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and wider government objectives. It was last used as an official residence by the right hon. William Hague until he stepped down as Foreign Secretary in July 2014. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) uses the property for official meetings and events with visiting Ministers from overseas. As with any government asset, whether leased or owned, usage and expenditure are carefully monitored to ensure that the building represents value for money for the taxpayer and supports the FCO's and Her Majesty's Government's core business.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Buildings

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 26 June 2015 to Question 3103, what the total rent payable is on (a) 1 Carlton Gardens and (b) Lancaster House; and for what purpose each such building is rented.

Mr David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) currently pays the following annual rent on:-(a) 1 Carlton Gardens – £482,341 (b) Lancaster House - £720,000 Lancaster House is used to provide business hospitality services as well as conference and meeting facilities across the whole of government. It is also used for a limited amount of commercial hire to corporate clients to help off-set running costs.1 Carlton Gardens is the official residence of the Foreign Secretary, and is used for official events and functions in support of FCO and wider government objectives.We reviewed the Lancaster House and Carlton Gardens rent in 2013. Following negotiation, the agreed rent in both cases was less than the landlord had proposed. In 2015 we successfully obtained a reduction in the rateable value for Lancaster House. This resulted in a rebate in business rates covering the period from 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2015 of £1.57 million and future annual rates saving of approximately £500,000.

Rohingya

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate he has made of how many Rohingya have died in violence this year; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure the government of Burma provides citizenship for the Rohingya.

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure the government of Burma acts against those perpetrating violence against the Rohingya.

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure the government of Burma admit UN investigators and allow them to freely investigate alleged atrocities perpetrated against the Rohingya.

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to broker a regional solution which would provide a safe haven for the Rohingya.

Mr Hugo Swire: The situation of the Rohingya in Burma’s Rakhine State remains of grave concern. It is clear that desperate living conditions are driving many people to make the dangerous journey to other countries in the region, fuelling the humanitarian crisis we have seen this year in the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea. We continue to urge the Burmese authorities to tackle this situation by working towards a long-term solution that brings peace and reconciliation and ensures the civil and human rights of all communities within Rakhine State, including full citizenship for the Rohingya. We are playing our part to resolve the situation in Rakhine. Since 2012, the UK has been one of the largest bilateral humanitarian donors there, investing over £18m in humanitarian support, including an additional £6.2m this year.While we have not this year seen intercommunal violence, as witnessed in 2012, the situation remains fragile. Our approach is to seek an end to all violations by encouraging a resolution of the underlying problems and de-escalating tensions. We have made clear to the government of Burma that allegations of human rights abuses must be dealt with through an independent and transparent investigative and prosecutorial process that meets international standards. The UK was instrumental in securing the strong UN Resolution on Burma at the Human Rights Council in March, which extended the mandate of the Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Burma, Professor Yanghee Lee. We very much support Professor Lee’s investigations into the human rights situation in Burma, including in Rakhine, and the reports she has issued on these.

Human Rights

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he next plans to publish his Department's quarterly updates on human rights conditions in countries of concern.

Mr David Lidington: Updates were published online on 15 July. We did not publish quarterly updates in April 2015 due to purdah constraints. Instead, the 15 July updates covered the period 1 January - 30 June. For future updates we will release our Annual Human Rights and Democracy Report plus a mid-year update on human rights priority countries. This will be a more efficient process allowing us to dedicate more time to tracjing and influencing events.

Romania: Corruption

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the government of Romania on tackling corruption in the business sector of that country.

Mr David Lidington: The UK closely monitors the implementation of Romania’s National Anticorruption Strategy which covers tackling corruption in the business sector. The UK has provided financial assistance to the Centre for Legal Resources to research ethics and compliance in the Romanian business sector, some of the results of which were subsequently included in Romania’s National Anticorruption Strategy.In April 2015 the British and American Chambers of Commerce in Romania and the Romanian Ministry of Justice organised a conference on business integrity, bringing together Government, businesses, non-governmental organisations and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development representatives to discuss the most effective ways to improve integrity of businesses in Romania.During his visit to Romania in January 2015, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), met President Klaus Iohannis and set out the important work Romania needed to take on tackling corruption, improving predictability of legislation and the positive impact this would have on Romania’s business environment.

Defence: Finance

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much his Department will receive from the Joint Security Fund for each year to 2020.

Mr David Lidington: The Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), announced in Budget 2015 the creation of a joint security fund of £1.5 billion by the end of the parliament.The Strategic Defence and Security Review will decide how the fund should be best used. The Review will be published towards the end of this year.

Government Departments: Wines

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent estimate he has made of the value of wine in the Government wine cellar.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: I refer the Honourable Member to the Written Ministerial Statement on the Annual Statement of the Government hospitality wine cellar 2014-15 (Written Ministerial Statement of 16 July 2015, HCWS142), a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House.

Human Rights: Annual Reports

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department plans to continue to publish detailed analysis of the human rights situation in countries of concern in an annual human rights report.

Mr David Lidington: We will publish detailed analysis of the human rights situation in priority countries either as part of the Annual Human Rights and Democracy Report or as online updates. We will review our human rights priority countries and options for the content and format of the Annual Report in the Autumn, as we do each year.

Human Rights: Annual Reports

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he proposes to change the (a) length and (b) format of his Department's annual report on human rights and democracy; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Lidington: We intend to restructure the Annual Report for greater impact and accessibility, focusing it on the previous year's key human rights developments. We will consider a range of options in the autumn.

Human Rights

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his Department's human rights priorities are for the current Parliament.

Mr David Lidington: Holding answer received on 21 July 2015



We are currently reconfiguring our work on human rights around three pillars to promite greater focus, boost our impact, and increase our ability to respond to international developments.These pillars are:(i) Democratic values and the rule of law; (ii) The rules-based international system and,(iii) Human rights for a stable world.These will accommodate everything our Embassies, High Commissions and multilateral missions currently prioritise, in locally appropriate ways.

Northern Ireland Office

Telecommunications: Northern Ireland

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether she has had discussions with mobile network operators on (a) digital infrastructure and inclusion and (b) reform of the Electronic Communications Code since May 2015.

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on reform of the Electronic Communications Code.

Mrs Theresa Villiers: The Department of Culture, Media and Sport is responsible for taking forward work on digital infrastructure and leads on reform of the Electronic Communications Code.The Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport and the Minister for Culture and the Digital Economy regularly meet with mobile network operators.The Government is committed to reform of the Electronic Communications Code and intends to bring forward legislation in this area as soon as possible.

Attorney General

Government Legal Service: Data Protection

Marie Rimmer: To ask the Attorney General, what guidance he provides to Government Legal Service (GLS) personnel on compliance with the Data Protection Act by (a) the Government, (b) agencies and (c) clients of the GLS to ensure that (i) data is not sent to a data controller who is not registered under the Data Protection Act, but ought to have done so and (ii) secure data handling procedures are operated by both the GLS and any external data controller to whom data is sent.

Robert Buckland: The Government Legal Department provides guidance to all its staff on the Data Protection Act, which requires staff to act in accordance with the legislation as it affects their work. How data is handled when it arrives with an external data controller rests with the receiving organisation and not with GLD. Staff in other parts of the Government Legal Service are governed by any guidance issued by the departments for which they work.

Government Legal Service: Data Protection

Marie Rimmer: To ask the Attorney General, who in the Government Legal Service (GLS) has operational lead responsibility for ensuring that training is provided to officials of the GLS on compliance with the Data Protection Act 1998 ICO guidance and Treasury Solicitor and GLS information security and data protection related policies and procedures; and what assessment (a) has been and (b) will be made on what date and by whom of the effectiveness of that training provision.

Robert Buckland: The Treasury Solicitor, as Permanent Secretary, has overall responsibility for data protection within the Government Legal Department, which is the largest unit within the Government Legal Service. The Treasury Solicitor is supported in that role by a DPA co-ordinator and, in the provision of training, by the GLD people development team. Staff in other GLS teams are subject to the procedures and training in the departments for which they work, supported again by the GLD people development team. That team assesses the effectiveness of training by surveying course participants and through other feedback.   Comprehensive training, developed with the Information Commissioner’s Office, was conducted between February and June 2015 and consisted of a three part training programme‎ including an ICO video, face to face interaction and online elements.   The GLD people development team provide training within GLD, and support Government Legal Service (GLS) training. The people development team assess all training by surveying all course participants in the training they organise, and continually monitor the effectiveness of the training as a result of survey responses and general feedback.

Data Protection

Marie Rimmer: To ask the Attorney General, what guidance he provides to (a) Government Legal Service personnel and officials in his Department and (b) others on the steps they (i) can and (ii) must take if they are or should reasonably be aware that data has been unlawfully processed by a data controller because that controller has not notified the Information Commissioner's Office.

Robert Buckland: The Government Legal Department provides guidance to all its staff on the Data Protection Act, which requires staff to act in accordance with the legislation as it affects their work.   Staff in other parts of the Government Legal Service are governed by any guidance issued by the departments for which they work

Data Protection

Marie Rimmer: To ask the Attorney General, what data protection training has been given to (a) the Treasury Solicitor, (b) the Head of Litigation, (c) the Head of the Bona Vacantia Division, (d) the Ministry of Justice Advisory SCS1 Team Leaders, (e) the Ministry of Justice Legal SCS2 Team Leaders and (f) Legal Aid Agency Senior Lawyers at Grade 6 or above since 1 July 2013.

Robert Buckland: A comprehensive package of data protection training, developed with the Information Commissioner’s Office, was provided between February and June 2015 to all Government Legal Department staff including, (a) the Treasury Solicitor, (b) the Head of Litigation, (c) the Head of the Bona Vacantia Division, (d) the Ministry of Justice Advisory SCS1 Team Leaders, (e) the Ministry of Justice Legal SCS2 Team Leaders and (f) Legal Aid Agency Senior Lawyers at Grade 6 or above.   The training consisted of a three part training programme‎ including an ICO video, face to face interaction and online elements.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Electronic Equipment: Safety

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to prevent consumers purchasing unsafe second-hand electrical goods in the UK.

Anna Soubry: There are two pieces of legislation relevant to second hand electrical goods; the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 1994, and the General Product Safety Regulations 2005, which implement the EU’s General Product Safety Directive. They require that equipment must only be supplied which is safe. The Regulations are enforced by Local Authority Trading Standards Services, who regularly remove unsafe second-hand electrical goods from the market through their market surveillance activities.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Directors

Hannah Bardell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what his policy is on ensuring gender balance on his Department's board.

Anna Soubry: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills Departmental Board draws its membership from ministers, senior officials and non-executives. In accordance with the Code of Good Practice for Corporate Governance in Central Government Departments (2011), appointments to the Board are made on merit with due regard for the benefits of diversity, including gender. Of the current membership, 40% are women.

Apprentices: Living Wage

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether he plans for the National Living Wage announced in his Summer Budget 2015 to apply to apprentices over the age of 25.

Nick Boles: Currently, the Apprentice rate applies to apprentices over the age of 25 where they are in their first year of their apprenticeship. They then qualify for the age appropriate rate.   We will be implementing the National Living Wage through amendments to the National Minimum Wage regulations, in time for April 2016. We will consider how the Living Wage applies to the Apprentice rate as part of this process.

Apprentices: Taxation

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether small businesses will be able to access funding from the proposed apprenticeship levy in order to recruit apprentices; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Boles: Further details on the implementation of the apprenticeships levy will be set out later this year.

Department for International Development

Developing Countries: Sanitation

Alec Shelbrooke: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions are taking place among member states of the UN to ensure that clean water and sanitation remains a sustainable development goal.

Grant Shapps: United Nations member states have been holding discussions on thematic areas, including water and sanitation (WASH), in preparation for the September UN Summit to adopt the post-2015 development agenda. These discussions follow the report of the UK co-chaired Post-2015 High Level Panel and the report of the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals both of which included proposals for a dedicated water goal. The UK supports the inclusion of WASH in the Sustainable Development Goal framework.

Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what her Department's priorities are in the development of a new strategy for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Grant Shapps: The UK was awarded its seat on the Board of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in March 2015. The UK priority is to ensure that the Global Fund is able to deliver against our shared ambition of ending the three diseases as epidemics.

Developing Countries: Health Services

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department plans to take to facilitate NHS staff volunteering overseas to assist with the strengthening of health systems in least developed countries.

Grant Shapps: In 2014 DFID, with the Department of Health and the National Health Service (NHS), produced the Framework for Voluntary Engagement in Global Health to explain to health sector organisations how they can most effectively support volunteers engaged in health work in developing countries. As part of its support for volunteering, DFID is providing £30 million from 2011 to 2017 for the Health Partnerships Scheme which uses the skills of UK health professionals to train, mentor and coach their developing country counterparts in their home countries. DFID also provides support to the non-governmental organisations VSO and UK-Med which facilitate skilled health professionals volunteering overseas.

Developing Countries: Infectious Diseases

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of her Department's research on development funding for infectious diseases.

Grant Shapps: DFID has supported some of the best research on infectious diseases. Recent examples include a new diagnostic for sleeping sickness, a new vaccine for rotavirus diarrhoea and a new drug for treating malaria in children. Globally, there is a lack of investment in research and development for infectious diseases. This includes diagnostics, drugs, vaccines, and research to improve the delivery of health services. DFID is the second largest Government funder of product development research.  The new Government made a manifesto commitment to lead a major new programme to develop drugs for the world’s deadliest diseases. DFID is currently working on a strategy to deliver on this commitment.

Developing Countries: Health Services

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what progress her Department has made in delivering a framework for strengthening health systems overseas; when that work is due to be finalised; and what engagement there has been between her Department and civil society organisations on that matter.

Grant Shapps: As part of the government response to the 2014 International Development Committee inquiry, DFID is committed to developing a framework for UK support to health systems strengthening in developing countries. DFID is working on the framework, consulting the Department of Health and other UK institutions. DFID is due to update the Committee on progress with a response in November 2015.

Namibia: Overseas Aid

Roger Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much her Department has spent on education and health programmes in Namibia in each of the last five years.

Grant Shapps: The Department for International Development (DFID) does not have a bilateral country programme in Namibia. DFID spending on education and health in Namibia through multi-country programmes over the last five years was: £149,000 in 2009; £337,000 in 2010; £66,000 in 2011; £195,000 in 2012 and £352,000 in 2013.

Department for Education

Mathematics: GCSE

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department has taken to monitor the availability in schools of additional mathematics GCSE.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department issues on the teaching of additional mathematics GCSE in schools.

Nick Gibb: Some schools have historically offered additional qualifications to complement the mathematics GCSE and provide stretch and challenge for the most able students. We have not issued any explicit guidance on the teaching of these qualifications and we do not directly monitor their availability in schools.   From September 2015 a new mathematics GCSE will be taught in schools which will be more challenging, ambitious and rigorous, and will ensure that children have the mathematical skills vital to continue in higher education, training and employment. For the most able students, it will provide greater stretch while better preparing them to move on to A levels in mathematics and further mathematics.  Final decisions about whether to offer additional mathematics qualifications for the most able students following the introduction of the new GCSE rest with schools. We believe that schools and teachers are best placed to make such decisions if they consider it to be in the best interests of their students.

Education: Fraud

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to make it easier for whistleblowers to come forward when rules are broken by teachers, students and schools in SATS tests, GCSEs and A-levels.

Nick Gibb: Ofqual is a prescribed body within the meaning of the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 for matters falling within its jurisdiction, which would include qualifying disclosures of malpractice in public examinations (such as GCSEs and A levels). I have asked its Chief Regulator, Glenys Stacey to write directly to the hon. Member on this issue. A copy of her response will be placed in the House of Commons Library.   In relation to Standard Assessment Tests (SATs), the Standards and Testing Agency (STA) do not require the name of an individual or contact details to undertake an investigation against a school. STA maladministration processes protect whistleblowers by ensuring that allegations are not shared in detail during or after an investigation. Information published on the GOV.uk website details how an individual or body can raise a concern with STA and that the STA will protect the whistleblower's identity.   Ofqual’s policy for addressing concerns raised by whistleblowers is published online at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/report-malpractice-or-wrongdoing-to-ofqual

Education: Fraud

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what representations she has received on cheating by students and teachers in GCSE and A-level examinations and coursework.

Nick Gibb: The Secretary of State for Education has received no representations on cheating by students and teachers in GCSE and A level examinations and coursework.

Teachers: Shortages

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of shortages of teachers of each subject in (a) Bradford district area, (b) West Yorkshire and (c) England.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education does not assess the demand for teachers by subject at the regional or district level. We recruited 94% of our postgraduate initial teacher training (ITT) target in 2014/15, reflecting the continuing popularity of teaching. The latest 2015/16 figures show that we have exceeded our postgraduate recruitment target for primary trainee teachers and are making good progress in secondary recruitment. The teacher vacancy rate remains low, at less than 1%, with the number and quality of teachers in England’s classrooms at an all-time high.   We recognise the importance of encouraging the best and brightest to join the profession. That is why we have increased scholarships and bursaries to attract top graduates in priority subjects and supported the growth of Teach First. We announced a £67 million package to recruit an additional 2,500 mathematics and physics teachers, and improve the knowledge and skills of 15,000 existing teachers. From 2016/17 ITT providers will have greater freedom to recruit as many trainees as they need within recruitment controls set by the National College for Teaching and Leadership.

Students: VDUs

Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what research her Department has undertaken on the potential effect of digital screen use on students in the last five years.

Edward Timpson: There has been no specific research undertaken by the department on the potential effect of digital screen use on students in the last five years.

Schools: Technology

Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent meetings she has had with civil society groups on potential adverse health effects of introducing more technology in schools.

Edward Timpson: The Secretary of State has not met with any civil society groups to discuss the potential adverse health effects of introducing more technology in schools.

Children in Care and Young Offenders

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will introduce legislative proposals to place a legal responsibility on local authorities to notify their neighbouring authorities when they place 16 to 21 year olds leaving (a) care and (b) young offender institutions in that area.

Edward Timpson: Our statutory guidance, ‘Planning Transition to Adulthood for Care Leavers’ sets out local authorities’ responsibilities when care leavers are placed out of area. In these circumstances, the placing local authority must remain in close contact and take responsibility for planning the young person’s transition to adulthood. The guidance explains that local authorities should work together with relevant agencies such as health and adult social care services when planning a young person’s transition to adulthood.   Where a care leaver is placed in custody, pathway planning must continue. The young person must be visited on a regular basis by a personal adviser from the placing authority. It is good practice for the personal adviser to carry out a review of the pathway plan at least a month before release in order to give sufficient time for pre-release planning. This should include plans for the care leaver to move into suitable accommodation, with the right kind of support, on release from custody.   A copy of the guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/397649/CA1989_Transitions_guidance.pdf

Ministry of Justice

Freedom of Information Act 2000

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the contribution of the Secretary of State for Justice of 23 June 2015, Official Report, column 753, what his timetable is for revisiting the Freedom of Information Act 2000; and what changes he plans to make to that Act.

Dominic Raab: The Government announced on 17 July the establishment of an independent, cross-party, Commission on the Freedom of Information Act. The Written Ministerial Statement to announce the Commission, and the transfer of policy responsibility for the Act to the Cabinet Office, is available here:- https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/freedom-of-information-new-commission.

Life Imprisonment

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 2 July 2015 to Question 4022, in how many of the cases in the table provided had the victim or the victim's family had an input into the decision to either move the offender to an open prison or to release them.

Andrew Selous: Victims who have opted into the statutory Victim Contact Scheme will be informed of their right to make a victim personal statement (VPS) in the event that the offender’s case is reviewed by the independent Parole Board. Where a victim has chosen to submit a VPS, the Parole Board will consider this alongside all other relevant information before making its decision. The number of victims who make a VPS for Parole Board reviews is not recorded centrally.

Data Protection

Marie Rimmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the extent of revenue that has been lost to the public purse in each of the last seven financial years as a result of data controllers who are required to notify or register under the Data Protection Act and pay a fee not doing so; and what steps he is taking to (a) recoup the losses to the public purse that have occurred and (b) prevent such further losses.

Marie Rimmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions his Department has had with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) on ensuring that collection of registration and notification fees from data controllers is actively pursued by the ICO; and whether such collection was discussed at the meeting between the Deputy Director of Information Rights and Devolution Policy and the ICO on 29 April 2015.

Marie Rimmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what mechanism (a) the Information Commissioner's Office and (b) his Department has in place to recover unpaid notification and registration fee income from data controllers; what the costs of such recovery is; from what budget such costs are met; and whether such costs are recovered from data controllers who do not pay such fees.

Marie Rimmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps (a) the Information Commissioner's Office and (b) his Department has taken to ensure that (i) mediators, (ii) arbitrators and (iii) others providing legal services have registered as data controllers and paid any related fees in each of the last three years.

Marie Rimmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps (a) the Information Commissioner's Office and (b) his Department has taken to ensure that (i) mediators, (ii) arbitrators and (iii) others providing medical services have registered as data controllers and paid any related fees in each of the last three years.

Marie Rimmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps (a) the Information Commissioner's Office and (b) his Department takes to ensure that those data controllers who are not registered do not accrue benefit from such work; and what obligations there are to report such non-registration under legislation related to (i) money laundering and (ii) proceeds of crime.

Marie Rimmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what obligations (a) people with reporting obligations in the regulated sector and (b) others have to ensure that a data controller who has processed personal data when not entitled to do so because of lack of notification does not benefit from any proceeds that may have been received as a consequence of that processing; and what sanctions can be taken against people who fail to fulfil those obligations.

Dominic Raab: The Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) requires every data controller who is processing personal information to register with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) unless they are exempt. Failure to do so is a criminal offence. The ICO has the ability to prosecute data controllers who process personal data having failed to notify in accordance with the DPA. A successful prosecution could result in a fine being imposed. The length of time that a data controller has failed to notify, and any financial benefit they have received from not paying the notification fees, is a factor that is taken into account by the Court when sentencing and setting the appropriate level of fine. There are no provisions in the Proceeds of Crime Act that would require someone to report to a court or anyone else that any profit has been made from the offence of processing personal data without being registered. If someone suspects that money laundering has occurred then the reporting obligations set out in the Money Laundering Regulations 2007 will, for example, apply. It is for data controllers to seek registration; the ICO periodically reminds organisations of the requirement to notify. Fee income has been increasing year on year with increasing numbers of notifications. The Ministry of Justice and the ICO are looking at the current funding model as part of negotiations on the proposed EU Data Protection Regulation.

Information Commissioner

Marie Rimmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the level of remuneration of Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) personnel based in the ICO's Wilmslow office and the requests made to increase such remuneration; and whether meeting such requests would require a relaxation of existing pay restraint policies.

Dominic Raab: The Information Commissioner is responsible for determining the pay and conditions of his staff and in doing so must comply with the principles of Managing Public Money and Civil Service Pay Guidance.

Data Protection Act 1998

Marie Rimmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what support and guidance his Department provides to victims of crime committed under the Data Protection Act to ensure that (a) money is not paid by them or on their behalf to anyone who has unlawfully processed such data which have been paid by them or, if already paid, can be recovered and (b) obligations under anti-money laundering or proceeds of crime legislation are explained.

Marie Rimmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to (a) bring and or authorise criminal proceedings and (b) take civil proceedings to punish people who have failed to comply with Data Protection obligations and to deprive such people of any benefit of proceeds obtained by conduct which is unlawful under the Data Protection Act.

Marie Rimmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what information his Department holds on the (a) extent of criminal activity and (b) amount of unlawfully obtained benefit which has occurred contrary to provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998 in each of the last six years for which records are available.

Dominic Raab: The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) applies for confiscation under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 in appropriate cases. The ICO communicates with victims throughout the prosecution case and if the ICO is to pursue either confiscation or make an application for compensation this is explained to the victim. More generally, the ICO is reviewing processes for supporting victims in light of the forthcoming implementation of the Victims Directive.In cases where organisations do not comply with the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) the ICO has a range of powers to take action, including the power to serve a Civil Monetary Penalty of up to £500,000. In the most serious cases, section 55 of the DPA makes it an offence for a person to knowingly or recklessly obtain, disclose or procure the disclosure of personal data without the consent of the data controller. The offence is punishable by an unlimited fine.Figures for prosecutions and cautions for DPA related offences the last six years are in the table below.YearNumber of prosecutionsNumber of cautions2009/10742010/11582011/121372012/13522013/141722014/15254 The figures for 2012/13 to 2014/15 years can also be found in the ICO’s annual reports at the link below:https://ico.org.uk/about-the-ico/our-information/annual-reports/

Mediation: Fees and Charges

Marie Rimmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will bring forward proposals to (a) regulate the fees that can be charged by mediators and (b) ensure that access to justice by way of mediation is achievable at reasonable cost.

Dominic Raab: The fees charged by mediators are not regulated, save in respect of the Civil Legal Aid (remuneration) Regulations 2013, where some aspects of family law mediation fees are set. Currently there are no plans to regulate the fees charged by mediators. The Ministry of Justice has established a referral page on the Justice Website which provides links to mediators who offer their services on a sliding scale flat fee basis. Additionally the Small Claims Mediation Service run by Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service provides a free mediation service for parties involved in small claims litigation. Family mediation (and legal advice to support family mediation) is still within the scope of legal aid. Also, as of 3 November 2014, the first single session of mediation is publicly funded in all cases where one of the people involved is already legally aided. In this scenario, both participants will be funded for the Mediation Information Assessment Meeting (“MIAM”) and the first session of mediation.

Mediation: Sponsorship

Marie Rimmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what sponsorship his Department provides to organisations providing mediation services; and what conditions are placed on that sponsorship.

Dominic Raab: While the Ministry of Justice does not sponsor organisations providing mediation services, we do provide links to some mediation providers on the justice website, notably the Civil Mediation Council, Law Works and others. Additionally there is search facility for locating mediators who are accredited by the CMC and who have agreed to a fee schedule with rates based on the value of the claim.

Mediation

Marie Rimmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what obligations litigants have under Civil Procedure Rules to seek to resolve court proceedings by Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR); what sanctions can be applied by a court on a litigant who does not engage in ADR; and what information (a) his Department and (b) HM Courts and Tribunals Service holds on cases since 1 July 2013 in which sanctions have been applied to litigants who have not engaged in ADR.

Andrew Selous: Rule 1.4 of the Civil Procedure Rules (“CPR”) provides that the courts are under an obligation to manage cases by encouraging the parties to use an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) procedure and facilitate the use of such a procedure.The Practice Direction on pre action conduct provides that the court will expect the parties to have exchanged sufficient information to consider a form of ADR to assist with settlement.Should either party refuse to take part in ADR and the court considers it would have been of benefit, the court has the power to impose a financial penalty in terms of a reduction of any costs order.The Department and Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) do not collect information on sanctions applied where parties have not engaged in ADR.

Mediation

Marie Rimmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to reform regulation of the Civil Mediation Council and the wider mediation industry.

Marie Rimmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the policies and procedures of (a) the Civil Mediation Council and (b) CMCL and the verification processes to recognise and accredit Registered Mediation Providers and CMC Registered Mediators.

Dominic Raab: We have no current plans to regulate the Civil Mediation Council or the wider mediation industry. My Department has not made any detailed assessment of the Civil Mediation Council’s policies and procedures or the CML’s verification processes to recognise registered mediation providers or CMC registered mediators.

Mediation

Marie Rimmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what information and guidance his Department has published online since 1 July 2013 on (a) mediating legal disputes and (b) the identity and costs charged by providers of mediation services.

Dominic Raab: The government encourages people to use mediation as a way of solving legal disputes rather than going to court. Our web pages which can be found under gov.uk, includes information about neighbour disputes, debt, and accidents and injuries and encourages parties to consider mediation. Information is also available for family disputes where it is now a legislative requirement that anyone considering applying to court for an order about their children or finances is legally obliged to attend a Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting first, unless specific exemptions apply (for example domestic violence). This Department publishes information about mediation providers annually at http://www.civilmediation.justice.gov.uk/ Those mediators listed are accredited by the Civil Mediation Council. The mediators have agreed to a sliding scale of fees depending on the monetary value of the claim. The scale can also be found at the link above.

Information Commissioner

Marie Rimmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to page 57 of the Information Commissioner's Annual Report and Financial Statements 2014-15, published on 30 June 2015, what the (a) inadvertent error and (b) breach of Civil Service Pay Guidance was; how the fine of £18,400 was calculated; and what assessment he has made of the effect of that fine on (i) remuneration of Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) staff and (ii) the work of the ICO.

Dominic Raab: HM Treasury imposed a financial penalty of £18,400 on the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) for a breach of the Civil Service Pay Guidance relating to the salary increases of two Executive Team Members. It is within the Treasury’s remit to set policy relating to public funds, including Civil Service Pay Guidance, a breach of which provides the authority to impose appropriate sanctions at its discretion. We do not expect the financial penalty to impact on the remuneration of ICO staff or the work of the organisation.

Criminal Proceedings: Legal Representation

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many defendants in criminal proceedings in (a) police stations and (b) courts in each region of England and Wales have been unable to secure legal representation in each week since 1 July 2015.

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many defendants in criminal proceedings in (a) police stations and (b) courts in each region of England and Wales were unable to secure legal representation in each week between 3 June 2015 and 1 July 2015.

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many adjournments occurred because of lack of legal representation for defendants in criminal proceedings in each week since 1 July 2015; and what the duration of each such adjournment was.

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many adjournments occurred because of lack of legal representation for defendants in criminal proceedings in each week between 3 June 2015 and 1 July 2015; and what the duration of each such adjournment was.

Andrew Selous: In the vast majority of cases requiring a solicitor at the police station, a solicitor has been deployed within an hour. The Ministry of Justice does not retain details of detainees at police station who, having requested legal advice, do not then obtain it. There have always been a number of reasons why an individual might not receive advice, such as the detainee changing their mind or the police releasing the detainee before advice is provided. The courts are sitting as usual. The representation status and the number of adjournments in magistrates’ court proceedings, and the reasons for them, are not centrally recorded. For Crown Court cases, data on reasons for adjournments are centrally recorded, but a lack of legal representation is not included within the list of possible reasons for an adjournment. Further, representation status is centrally recorded, but the reasons why an individual might be unrepresented are not. Experimental data on the number of defendants dealt with in the Crown Court who are known to have had legal representation at their first hearing was published for the first time in the Criminal Court Statistics Quarterly publication on 25 June 2015, covering the period 2010 and 2014. These statistics are available via the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-court-statistics-quarterly-january-to-march-2015

Public Defender Service: Solicitors

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many times Public Defender Service solicitors have been used as a direct result of the work to rule action that began on 1 July 2015; and what the total cost to the public purse has been of the use of such solicitors to date.

Andrew Selous: In addition to their routine allocated police station work, PDS attended 21 additional police stations cases between 1 July 2015 - 13 July 2015.As salaried staff, no additional salary cost will be paid.

Information Commissioner: Pay

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure a fair settlement to the dispute about pay levels for staff of the Information Commissioner's Office.

Dominic Raab: The Information Commissioner is responsible for pay bargaining within the Information Commissioner’s Office. In doing so, the Information Commissioner must prepare pay bargaining remit proposals that comply with the principles of Managing Public Money and Civil Service Pay Guidance.

Insolvency: Conditional Fee Agreements

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions he has had with HM Revenue and Customs on the delay in commencing reforms to conditional fee agreements for insolvency litigation in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012.

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions he has had with the Insolvency Service on the delay in commencing reforms to conditional fee agreements for insolvency litigation in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012.

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to commence sections 44 and 46 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012, in respect of insolvency proceedings.

Dominic Raab: The Government is taking forward the Coalition Government’s commitment to review this issue and it will set out further details later in the year. As part of that process, the Government will continue to engage with relevant stakeholders, including Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, the Insolvency Service and insolvency practitioners and their representatives.

Information Commissioner

Marie Rimmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to improve the (a) pay and conditions and (b) morale of employees of the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO); and if he will make it his policy to ensure that all unpaid data controllers' registration and notification fees are collected and reinvested in the ICO.

Dominic Raab: The Information Commissioner is responsible for setting the pay and conditions of his staff in compliance with Managing Public Money and Civil Service Pay Guidance. The Data Protection Act 1998 requires every data controller who is processing personal information to register with the Information Commissioner’s Office unless they are exempt. It is for data controllers to seek registration; the ICO periodically reminds organisations of the requirement to notify.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Arts Council England: Pay

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the average pay was for Arts Council employees who were (a) male, (b) female, (c) white, (d) from an ethnic minority background, (e) disabled and (f) non-disabled in the most recent year for which information is available.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Average pay for Arts Council employees who were (a) male, (b) female, (c) white, (d) from an ethnic minority background, (e) disabled and (f) non-disabled, for the financial year 2014/15 are set out in the table.  Average Salary(a) male£34,953(b) female£32,015(c) white£32,878(d) from an ethnic minority background£34,618(e) disabled£25,838(f) non-disabled£33,381 The ethnicity headings for those who classified themselves as either British white, Irish or other white background are included under the ‘white’ heading, and as such, all other employees are therefore deemed to be from an ethnic minority background. 15 employees declined to answer or no information was available. For the disabled heading, 47 colleagues declined to answer so have been counted as non-disabled.

Broadband: Cumbria

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate his Department has made of the number of homes in (a) Cumbria and (b) Copeland constituency that will not have access to superfast broadband by 2020.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Government remains committed to superfast broadband delivery. The Connecting Cumbria project is due to provide 92% of homes and businesses in both Cumbria and Copeland constituency with access to superfast broadband by the end of 2017. No estimate has been made of coverage by 2020 by constituency.

Broadband: Rural Areas

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what progress the Government is making in rolling out broadband in rural areas; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Government funded programme rollout of superfast broadband is progressing well and is on track to provide access to superfast broadband to 95% of the UK by the end of 2017. Over 2.5m premises how have access to superfast broadband for the first time and it is being made available to a further 40,000 homes and businesses every week.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Public Expenditure

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to HM Treasury's press release, Chancellor announces £4.5 billion of measures to bring down debt, published on 4 June 2015, what amount of the £30 million additional savings from his Department will consist of (a) underspends within the DCMS group, (b) reduction in core budget and (c) reductions in funding to arms-length bodies.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Of the £30m of in-year savings announced by the Chancellor: a) £24m related to underspends across the Group; b) there was a £1.5m reduction to core budgets; and, c) a £4.5m reduction in funding to arm's length bodies.

Television: Licensing

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what information he holds on how the BBC will enforce payment of the licence fee by people watching iPlayer.

Mr Edward Vaizey: We are seeking views on the practicalities of enforcement of modernising the licence fee in order to cover public service broadcast catch-up TV as part of BBC Charter Review public consultation published on Thursday 16 July. The current TV Licence Fee enforcement regime, which includes live or nearly live broadcast television content on any electronic device including via iPlayer, has been reviewed independently. The report has been published and is available via this link: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/445212/166926_Perry_Review_Text-L-PB.pdf

Public Service Broadcasting

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he plans to take in response to Ofcom's Third Review of Public Sector Broadcasting, published in July 2015.

Mr Edward Vaizey: We welcome publication of Ofcom's review and statement on Public Service Broadcasting. We will be considering the evidence and recommendations alongside the Charter Review process and in light of responses to our consultation on balance of payments and electronic programme guides.

Telecommunications

Dr Paul Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that all households have access to efficient digital communication networks and that broadband is available to all households at data transfer rates greater than 2 Mbit/s before the end of 2015.

Mr Edward Vaizey: According to Ofcom only 3% of premises in the UK had access to speeds of less than 2Mbps in June 2014 (down from 11% in 2010). The government estimates that by the end of 2015 this will be around 1% as a result of the BDUK broadband programme. The government will ensure that the remaining premises have access to speeds of at least 2Mbps by the end of 2015 by making available the option of satellite broadband connections, which will have the capability of delivering superfast speeds for those who want it.

Department for Work and Pensions

Jobcentre Plus

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of Jobcentre Plus programmes in each of the last three years.

Priti Patel: The total spend on Employment programmes for each of the last three years as published in the Departments Annual Report and Accounts is as follows12/13 £802m, 13/14 £1,043m, 14/15 £946m.

Taxation: Married People

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the (a) number of single earner married couples and (b) proportion of all married couples who are single earner married couples in each country of the UK in each of the last five years.

Priti Patel: Table 1: number of married couples where one adult in the couple is employed or self-employed, by country in the UK, 3-year averages  EnglandWalesScotlandNorthern IrelandUnited Kingdom2007/08 to 2009/102,190,000110,000190,00080,0002,570,0002008/09 to 2010/112,180,000110,000190,00080,0002,560,0002009/10 to 2011/122,160,000120,000190,00080,0002,540,0002010/11 to 2012/132,120,000110,000190,00080,0002,500,0002011/12 to 2013/142,090,000110,000180,00080,0002,460,000  Table 2: proportion of married couples where one adult in the couple is employed or self-employed, by country in the UK, 3-year averages  EnglandWalesScotlandNorthern IrelandUnited Kingdom2007/08 to 2009/1027252526272008/09 to 2010/1128252526272009/10 to 2011/1227272527272010/11 to 2012/1327272528272011/12 to 2013/142726242727 Source: Family Resources Survey, 2007/08 to 2013/14 Notes:1. The Family Resources Survey is a nationally representative sample of UK households.2. The figures from the Family Resources Survey are based on a sample of households which have been adjusted for non-response using multi-purpose grossing factors which align the Family Resources Survey to former Government Office Region population by age and sex. Estimates based on survey data are subject to uncertainty due to sampling error and remaining non-response error.3. The figures presented are three-year averages due to relatively small sample sizes of married couples available for some countries in individual years.4. Data are rounded to the nearest ten thousand or 1 per cent.5. Percentages in Table 2 are calculated by dividing the number of married couples where one adult is in employment by the total number of married couples (i.e. those couples where one, both or neither is employed).

Social Security Benefits: Scotland

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Scottish households will be affected by a reduction in the benefit cap to £20,000 per year.

Justin Tomlinson: The Government set out its assessment of the impacts of the policies in the Welfare Reform and Work Bill on 20th July. A link to the impact assessment is included.http://www.parliament.uk/documents/impact-assessments/IA15-006.pdf

Local Government: Pensions

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make it his policy to increase the £30,000 threshold for the Local Government Pension Scheme.

Justin Tomlinson: Defined benefit pension arrangements offer a high level of security and, in some cases, very valuable guarantees. Therefore it is important that individuals carefully consider the implications of giving these guarantees up before proceeding with a decision to transfer out to access their benefits flexibly. The independent financial advice £30,000 threshold applies to transfers out of all funded defined benefit schemes, including public sector schemes such as the Local Government Pension Scheme. The Government has no plans to create a separate threshold for funded public sector schemes.

Children: Maintenance

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what factors were taken into account in setting the application fee for the Child Maintenance Service at £20.

Priti Patel: Following the consultation ‘Strengthening families, promoting parental responsibility: the future of child maintenance’, and debates in both Houses, the level of the application fee was reduced from £100 to £20. The fee is intended to strike the right balance of ensuring parents do not default into the statutory scheme, without placing an unreasonable financial burden on those who are unable to reach a family based arrangement. It also provides a nominal contribution to a system that is expensive to administer. Application fees do not apply to victims of domestic violence or to applicants aged 18 or under.

Work Programme: Copeland

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in Copeland constituency participated in the Work Programme scheme in each of the last three years.

Priti Patel: Information on the number of Work Programme referrals, attachments and job outcomes to March 2015 by various geographies, including parliamentary constituencies, is published at: http://tabulation-tool.dwp.gov.uk/WorkProg/tabtool.html Guidance for users can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-tabulation-tool-guidance

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information his Department collects on the number of people who die after having their benefit withdrawn following being sanctioned.

Priti Patel: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on the 14 July 2015 to Question UIN 5731.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Agriculture: Diplomatic Service

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which UK diplomatic posts have an Agriculture and Food Counsellor; and if she will make a statement.

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to increase the number of Agriculture and Food Counsellors at British embassies; and if she will make a statement.

George Eustice: The overseas Embassy network plays a central role in the promotion of food and drink exports. Most Embassies have staff working on food and drink. In view of the potential market in China, especially for animals and animal products, Defra and the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board have created a dedicated Agriculture and Food Counsellor post in the Embassy in Beijing; this is the first of its kind. We are exploring with UKTI and FCO, who are responsible for our posts overseas, how we can build on this model and make best use of the network to provide clear leadership to boost our food and drink exports.

Rural Areas: Productivity

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to improve productivity in the rural economy; and if she will make a statement.

George Eustice: Defra is improving productivity in the rural economy through a number of measures, including:   through the Rural Development Programme in England investing in rural businesses and supporting the farming, food and forestry sectors to access new technology;working with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to achieve the Government’s commitment to treble the number of apprenticeships in food, farming and agri-tech;working across Government, investing around £780m in the Superfast Broadband Programme to provide 95% of UK premises with superfast broadband by the end of 2017. We are exploring options to extend superfast coverage beyond the current 95% target; supporting Food Enterprise Zones, which will help unlock the potential of local food and farming businesses, boosting local economies and attracting more investment; andenabling food producers to further benefit from their local roots by supporting the expansion of Protected Food Names and the expansion of Country of Origin Labelling.   Boosting productivity in the rural economy, investing in a strong economy, and infrastructure such as roads, rail, and high speed broadband will also bring businesses closer to market.

Animal Welfare: Circuses

Mr Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, on how many occasions in each of the last five years there were cases of animals in travelling circuses not being licensed under the Welfare of Wild Animals in Travelling Circuses (England) Regulations 2012; and what animals were involved in each such case.

George Eustice: Since January 2013, when the Welfare of Wild Animals in Travelling Circuses (England) Regulations 2012 came into force, there have been no cases of wild animals being used in a travelling circus without the licence required by the Regulations.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Communities and Local Government: Research

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what research reports his Department commissioned from external bodies between September 2010 and December 2014 have not been published; when each such report was commissioned; what the nature of the research commissioned for each such report was; from whom each such research report was commissioned; what the value of each such commission was; on what date each such report was received by his Department; for what reason each such report has not yet been published; and when he plans to publish each such report.

Mr Mark Francois: Holding answer received on 25 June 2015



Details of research reports commissioned between September 2010 and December 2014 are in the attached table. In addition, the Department commissioned several reports on the ability to respond to major incidents, such as potential terrorist incidents, which were not intended for publication.



Table of Unpublished Data
(Excel SpreadSheet, 31.5 KB)

Housing: Construction

Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to section 9.15 of Fixing the foundations: creating a more prosperous nation, published on 10 July 2015, Cm 9098, if he will issue guidance on the term zonal system, used in connection with brownfield sites; and if he will make a statement.

Brandon Lewis: Our proposal is to grant permission in principle for identified sites in a new statutory brownfield register to move towards a zonal system similar to that seen in other countries. Further details on how the measure will work will be made available in the autumn.

Housing: Construction

Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to section 9.10 of Fixing the foundations: creating a more prosperous nation, published on 10 July 2015, Cm 9098, how much time his Department will allow local authorities to put in place local plans where they have not yet done so before his Department will intervene to enforce this.

Brandon Lewis: I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement of 21 July 2015, HCWS 172.

Housing: Construction

Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to section 9.17 of Fixing the foundations: creating a more prosperous nation, published on 10 July 2015, Cm 9098, how he will implement a dispute resolution mechanism for section 106 agreements.

Brandon Lewis: During the last Parliament we undertook a high level consultation on speeding up Section 106 negotiations, which concluded that these can be a significant delay in processing planning applications, impacting on the delivery of much needed housing and local economic growth. Building on consultation responses, we are developing a dispute resolution process to speed up the determining of planning applications enabling development to be built more quickly.

Housing

Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the effects on housing supply and affordability of the practice of investors selling on a house at a higher price to another investor immediately after purchase; and if he will make a statement.

Brandon Lewis: The Government makes no assessment of this issue, it is the operation of the free market.

Bed and Breakfast Accommodation

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many families with children living in bed and breakfast accommodation have been so accommodated for more than six weeks; and how many families with children live in bed and breakfast accommodation in (a) each parliamentary constituency in the East Midlands and (b) England.

Mr Marcus Jones: Latest published statistics show that 2,570 families with children were in bed and breakfast style accommodation in England as at 31 March 2015. Of these households, 920 had been in bed and breakfast style accommodation for more than six weeks (50 of which were pending review). The statistics are not compiled on the basis of parliamentary constituencies.The law is clear that bed and breakfast accommodation should be used to house homeless families only in an emergency, and then for no longer than six weeks. Practice varies significantly across the country with just 5% of councils accounting for 80% of the total number of families stuck in these unacceptable conditions for more than 6 weeks. We provided funding in 2013-14 so that authorities could develop innovative and sustainable approaches to tackle this issue.

Housing: Cumbria

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many (a) homes and (b) affordable homes have been built in each local authority area in Cumbria in each of the last five years.

Brandon Lewis: Statistics on house building completions by tenure in each local authority district are published in the Department's live tables 253 (annual) and 253a (quarterly), which are available at the following link. http://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-house-building More comprehensive statistics on affordable housing completions are published in the Department’s live tables 1006, 1006a, 1007 and 1008, which are available at the following link: http://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-affordable-housing-supply These statistics include both newly built housing and acquisitions.

Wales Office

Telecommunications: Wales

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on the reform of the Electronic Communications Code.

Alun Cairns: The Government is committed to delivering a reformed Electronic Communications Code that works for site providers, Code Operators, and ensures consumers have a choice of high quality telecommunications services. I have met with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and the Minister for Culture and the Digital Economy, to discuss improvements to digital infrastructure across Wales.

Telecommunications: Wales

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether he has had discussions with mobile network operators on (a) digital infrastructure and inclusion and (b) reform of the Electronic Communications Code since May 2015.

Alun Cairns: Since May 2015, I have met with Three, to discuss the Electronic Communications Code and improvements to digital infrastructure, including mobile coverage across Wales.This follows a programme of meetings with Mobile Network Operators and broadcasters in the last Parliament on issues such as the Electronic Communications Code and mobile not-spots in Wales.

HM Treasury

LIBOR

Chris Bryant: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the reason is for the apparent disparity between paragraph 2.113 of Budget 2015, which states that the government has committed £75 million of LIBOR fines over the next five years to support military charities and other good causes and paragraph 2.47 of Summer Budget 2015, which states that the government has committed nearly £70 million of banking fines over the next five years to support military charities and other good causes.

Greg Hands: The reason for the apparent discrepancy is that the documents refer to two separate figures in two separate budgets. Paragraph 2.113 of Budget 2015 allocated £75 million. Paragraph 2.47 of Summer Budget 2015 allocated a further £70 million of banking fines to military charities and good causes.   This takes it to a total of £145m committed in this calendar year.

Apprentices: Taxation

Imran Hussain: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had on the apprenticeship levy with (a) businesses, (b) the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, (c) the Secretary of State for Education and (d) organisations representing industry.

Greg Hands: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery.   Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at: http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/minister_hospitality.htm.

Broadband

Chris Bryant: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 1.318 of the Summer Budget 2015, HC 264, from which budget has the £10 million expenditure on broadband been found; how many more premises will be reached by broadband as a result of that expenditure; and whether national projects will be ineligible to bid for that expenditure.

Greg Hands: To support connectivity in the South West, the government will allocate up to £10m to the broadband programme in the South West, commencing April 2016. The fund will be available for local projects to bid into, with priority given to those delivering ultrafast speeds of 100mbps and above. Broadband Delivery UK will start working with local projects immediately to determine the most effective way of delivering support. This scheme begins in the financial year 2016-17, budgets for this year and beyond will be set at the forthcoming Spending Review. Government is working to determine the most effective way of delivering support, with further details published in due course.

Banks: Fines

Chris Bryant: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, in which parliamentary constituency each project referred to in paragraph 2.47 of the Summer Budget 2015 is based.

Greg Hands: The majority of the recipient charities and good causes mentioned in paragraph 2.47 of the Summer Budget 2015 are Defence related and can be considered to be “National”. The exceptions being:   Ludlow Museum £0.25 million – to facilitate the publication online of the unique and historically important geological collections held in Ludlow - Ludlow; regeneration of the National Memorial Arboretum £2 million – to protect the long term future of the Memorial and to preserve it for the next generation – Lichfield;   Clock Tower Foundation £3 million – to provide a bespoke rehabilitation centre to support the Special Forces – North Herefordshire; and   Battle of Britain Bunker £1 million – to renovate and maintain the Battle of Britain Operations Room at RAF Uxbridge which coordinated the air defence of London and the South of England in WWII – Uxbridge.

Apprentices: Taxation

Michelle  Thomson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what criteria he plans to apply when assessing which businesses will be required to pay the new apprenticeship levy.

Greg Hands: Employer investment in skills has been a problem since the 1990s and it needs to change. Large companies will now have direct control via the digital apprenticeship voucher and firms that are committed to training will be able to get back more than the put in. Further details will be set at the Spending Review following a formal engagement with business.

Apprentices: Taxation

Michelle  Thomson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an estimate of the number of businesses in (a) Scotland and (b) the UK that will be required to pay the new apprenticeship levy.

Greg Hands: The Barnett formula will apply to spending on apprenticeships in England in the usual way. Skills policy is a devolved area so the DAs will have complete flexibility over how to support businesses. Further details will be set at the Spending Review following a formal engagement with business.

Apprentices: Taxation

Michelle  Thomson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of level of revenue that will be raised from the new apprenticeship levy; and what additional funding he plans will be available for apprenticeships in England.

Greg Hands: The government has committed to 3 million apprenticeship starts over the Parliament. The new levy on large employers will fund the step change needed in starts and quality. Further details will be set at the Spending Review following a formal engagement with business.

Apprentices: Scotland

Michelle  Thomson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to make available to the Scottish Government additional resources as a result of plans to increase funding for apprenticeships in England.

Greg Hands: Spending on apprenticeships in England will flow through the Barnett formula in the usual way. Skills policy is a devolved area, so the Scottish Government will continue to have complete flexibility over how to support businesses through training and apprenticeships.

Apprentices: Taxation

Chris Bryant: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Summer Budget 2015, what criteria he plans to use to determine which employers are affected by the apprenticeship levy.

Greg Hands: Employer investment in skills has been a problem since the 1990s and it needs to change. Large companies will now have direct control via the digital apprenticeship voucher and firms that are committed to training will be able to get back more than the put in. Further details will be set at the Spending Review following a formal engagement with business.

Infrastructure

Mr Mark Williams: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he next plans to publish an updated National Infrastructure Plan.

Greg Hands: The date for publication of the National Infrastructure Plan will be confirmed in due course.

Regional Planning and Development: North of England

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to include cities in the North East in the Northern Powerhouse initiative; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Hands: The Government has made a firm commitment to our Northern Powerhouse initiative which is inclusive of the whole of the North of England and the North East. We have made a series of investments across transport, infrastructure, skills, and business enterprise, and detailed additional measures to support the region at Summer Budget. In addition, the Chancellor recently announced that the government has begun discussions with the North East Combined Authority on a potential devolution deal, including plans for creating a directly-elected mayor, in return for a transfer of powers to the region.

Apprentices: Taxation

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many companies will be required to pay the apprenticeship levy; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Hands: Further details will be announced at the Spending Review following a formal engagement with business. Most importantly, firms that are committed to training will be able to get back more than they put in.

Radio Frequencies

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much was raised from the sale of radio spectrum in each financial year since 2010-11; and how much he expects to accrue to the public purse in such ways in each financial year to 2019-20.

Greg Hands: The following was raised from the sale of radio spectrum since financial year 2010-11:   Financial YearSale revenue (£)2010-1102011-1202012-132,368,273,3222013-1402014-1502015-160 (to date)   Ofcom may determine appropriate reserve prices for spectrum sales in future years and will advise Government on expected sale revenues as part of its preparations for spectrum auctions. Ofcom publishes an annual ‘Section 400 Account Licence Fees and Penalties Account’ which details spectrum fees arising from Wireless Telegraphy Act licences. Their most recent report can be found at http://www.ofcom.org.uk/content/about/annual-reports-plans/1262041/annual-report-14-15/Ofcom_S400_2014-15_accounts.pdf.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Wind Power: Subsidies

Mr Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether windfarms that were subject to appeal or judicial review at the time of her announcement on ending the onshore wind subsidy on 18 June 2015 will qualify for that subsidy.

Andrea Leadsom: Following my rt hon Friend's the Secretary of State’s Written Ministerial Statement and Oral Statement to Parliament on 18 (HCWS40) and 22 June (Column 617) 2015 respectively, DECC is engaging with the onshore wind industry and other stakeholders to hear their views on our proposed grace period criteria as we frame the terms of the legislation. The precise grace period eligibility requirements will be determined through the legislative process and are subject to approval by Parliament. It will be for the developer of each individual project to determine in due course whether they meet those eligibility requirements and to apply for the grace period.

Cabinet Office

House of Lords: Reform

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans the Government has to reduce the number of peers in the House of Lords.

John Penrose: The Government will continue to ensure that the House of Lords functions effectively, and will consider how to address issues such as the number of peers in the House.

Department for Culture Media and Sport

Sports: Governing Bodies

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of members of national sports governing bodies are women.

Tracey Crouch: Sport England does not hold the demographic data for national sports governing body members. However, the organisation Women in Sport collects data regarding the executive board members of national sports governing bodies and the proportion who are female in their regular report ‘Trophy Women’. When the first report was published in 2009, 20% of board members across NGBs were female and one quarter of NGBs had no women in their board positions. The most recent figures shown an improvement – in 2014 27% of board members across NGBs are female and the number of NGBs with no women in board positions has reduced to 3.

Airbnb

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will hold discussions with Airbnb on ensuring that their suppliers comply with the requirement not to let their properties for more than 90 days each year.

Tracey Crouch: I have no current plans to discuss this specific matter with Airbnb. The government is setting up an Emerging Industry Action Group for the sharing economy. Through this group it will engage with the whole sector, including companies such as Airbnb, to ensure that they and their suppliers understand and operate under an effective and proportionate regulatory framework that ensures consumers are protected.

Department of Health

General Practitioners: Woking

Mr Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many GPs there were employed in the (a) Primary Care Trust and (b) Clinical Commissioning Group serving Woking constituency in each year since 2010.

Ben Gummer: National Health Service workforce data is not available at constituency level. Such information is available in the following table. Due to differences in boundaries, primary care trust (PCT) data from 2010 to 2012 is not comparable to clinical commissioning group (CCG) data in 2013 and 2014.   General practitioners (GPs) by selected area in England: Headcount and full-time equivalent 2010-2014 Headcount20102011201220132014Surrey PCT All GPs906906880..GPs (excluding Retainers and Registrars)758770743..NHS North West Surrey CCG All GPs...238229GPs (excluding Retainers and Registrars)...222222Full-Time Equivalents Surrey PCT All GPs805811789..GPs (excluding Retainers and Registrars)679696682..NHS North West Surrey CCG All GPs...224216GPs (excluding Retainers and Registrars)...211211   Source: The Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) General and Personal Medical Services Statistics   Notes: Data as at 30 September 2014 for each year. NHS workforce data is not available at constituency level. Woking constituency is contained within and serviced by NHS North West Surrey CCG. Prior to 1 April 2013, Woking constituency was contained within and serviced by Surrey PCT. Due to the differences in boundaries, PCT data from 2010-2012 is not comparable to CCG data in 2013 and 2014.   The HSCIC seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data but responsibility for data accuracy lies with the organisations providing the data. Methods are continually being updated to improve data quality where changes impact on figures already published. This is assessed but unless it is significant at national level figures are not changed. Impact at detailed or local level is footnoted in relevant analyses.

Department of Health: Buildings

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to renew the lease on Skipton House, London SE1.

Jane Ellison: The Department has appointed professional advisors to work on the business case for the renewal of the Skipton House lease from 2016. They will be seeking the best deal for the Exchequer.

Obesity: Children

Ms Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of children was classified as obese in each local authority area in (a) 2009 and (b) 2014.

Jane Ellison: In 2009/10, prevalence of obesity at reception ranged from 5.52% (York) to 14.74% (Southwark). At Year 6, prevalence of obesity ranged from 12.08% (Richmond upon Thames) to 28.60% (Westminster).   In 2013/14, prevalence of obesity at reception ranged from 5.51% (Windsor and Maidenhead) to 14.38% (Hackney). At Year 6, prevalence of obesity ranged from 11.06% (Richmond upon Thames) to 26.68% (Southwark).   Attached for information is the proportion of children classified as obese in each local authority. 



Childhood prevalence of obesity per LA 2009 & 2014
(Excel SpreadSheet, 95.46 KB)

Health: Bristol

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that long-term improvements to (a) walking, (b) cycling and (c) other public health programmes are a legacy of Bristol's year as European Green Capital.

Jane Ellison: Significant investment continues to be made to the infrastructure, education and training needed to increase cycling and walking through programmes such as the Department for Transport’s Cycling Ambition Cities and National Parks Programme, the Department of Health’s investment in five English cities to deliver a range of interventions to support residents to build walking into their day to day lives, and Public Health England has also published ‘Everybody Active, Every Day’ to suggest ways to increase physical activity in local communities in England.   Local authorities have responsibility for the commissioning of health improvement services and it is for them to decide how best to meet local needs and priorities.

Genito-urinary Medicine: Finance

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his policy is on the level of future funding for open access to sexual health services which local authorities are obliged to provide under the Health and Social Care Act 2012.

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of the Government's proposed £200 million reduction in the local government public health grant will apply to public health funding in each local authority area.

Jane Ellison: We will shortly publish a consultation on how best to implement these savings in ways that minimise any impact on services.   Spending decisions on particular services, such as sexual health services, will remain for local authorities to make in the light of their local priorities. They are best placed to assess local needs and prioritise the deployment of their available resources accordingly.

Parkinson's Disease: Research

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) conducted on Parkinson's disease in the last five years.

George Freeman: The Department’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) funds a wide range of research relating to Parkinson’s disease through its programmes, fellowship schemes, research centres and units, clinical research facilities and the NIHR Clinical Research Network.   Major investments that relate fully or partially to Parkinson’s disease include:   - £3.5 million for the research theme on dementia and neurodegenerative disease at the NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre (2012-17); - £3.1 million for the research theme on neuroscience at the NIHR Imperial Biomedical Research Centre (2012-17); - £3.0 million for the research theme on functional neuroscience and imaging at the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (2012-17); - £2.0 million for a programme of research to inform clinical management of visual hallucinations associated with Parkinson’s disease and other conditions (2012-18); - £1.9 million for a trial of the effectiveness of an intervention to prevent falls among people with Parkinson’s disease (2013-17); and - £1.3 million for an evaluation of short-term integrated palliative care services to optimise care for people with advanced long-term neurological conditions (2014-18).

Allergies: Research

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what research his Department has commissioned or conducted on  allergic diseases.

George Freeman: The Department’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) funds a wide range of research relating to allergic diseases through its programmes, fellowship schemes, research centres and units, clinical research facilities and the NIHR Clinical Research Network.   Major current investments include: - £2.5 million for the South Manchester respiratory and allergy clinical research facility; - £2.2 million for the research theme on environment, respiratory health and allergy at the biomedical research centre at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and King’s College London; - £1.9 million for a trial to determine whether skin barrier enhancement with emollients can prevent eczema in high risk children; - £1.4 million for a trial of a behavioural change package to prevent hand dermatitis in nurses working in the NHS; and - £1.3 million for a trial of the effectiveness of the nocturnal use of a temperature controlled laminar airflow device in adults with poorly-controlled, severe allergic asthma.

Hereditary Diseases: Screening

John Glen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 20 June 2015 to Question 3515, what assessment he has made of the affordability to the NHS of providing screening tests for (a) sickle cell disease, (b) cystic fibrosis, (c) congenital hypothyroidism, (d) phenylketonuria, (e) medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency, (f) maple syrup urine disease, (g) isovaleric acidaemia, (h) glutaric aciduria type 1 and (i) homocystinuria (pyridoxine unresponsive); what suppliers are used by the NHS to provide each such test; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Gummer: The NHS Newborn Bloodspot Screening Programme is directly commissioned by NHS England as part of the Section 7A agreement of the National Health Service Act (2006), as amended by the Health and Social Care Act (2012). It sets out the arrangements under which the Secretary of State for Health delegates to NHS England the responsibility for certain elements of Public Health functions. The affordability of the NHS Newborn Bloodspot Screening Programme is discussed with NHS England as part of the Section 7A agreement.   Information on suppliers used by the NHS is not held centrally.

Community Care

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the responses to consultation on the Green Paper, Strengthening rights and choices for people to live in the community; what plans he has to bring forward legislative proposals to implement changes proposed in that Green Paper; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The consultation No voice unheard, no right ignored closed on 29 May and received 468 responses, including a substantial number from service users and carers. The Department will set out its response and next steps in the autumn. However, a number of proposals to amend police powers under the Mental Health Act 1983 will be taken forward as part of the Policing Bill later this year.

Mental Health Services: Out of Area Treatment

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which (a) 10 mental health trusts and (b) clinical commissioning groups (CCG) were responsible for the placing of most patients out of area in each of the last six months; and how many patients were placed out of area by each such (i) trust and (ii) CCG in each month.

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many patients of mental health trusts have been placed in beds out of the area of the mental health trust where they live in each of the last six months; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The information is not available in the format requested.

Mental Health Services: Children

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) available and (b) unused beds there were in each category in Tier 4 of children and young people's mental health services in (i) total and (ii) each region in each of the last 20 weeks.

Alistair Burt: NHS England does not collect and publish the information in the form requested.

Mental Health Services

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of actions plans that have been submitted by local partners in implementing the standards set out in the Mental Health Crisis Care Concordat; whether his Department monitors progress against commitments made in such action plans in each local area; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: By May this year, every locality in England had agreed a mental health Crisis Care Concordat action plan. The Department worked closely with NHS England, the mental health charity Mind, and with local areas to make sure that every plan contained achievable commitments to review and improve local crisis services.   I will write to local Concordat groups shortly to ask that they work to update action plans by the end of October, provide information on their local governance arrangements, and report on progress made to date.

Autism and Learning Disability: Care Homes

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people with (a) learning disabilities and (b) autism were in institutional care for each of the last six months; and how many such people currently resident in institutional care (i) have care plans in place and (ii) have a planned date for leaving such care.

Alistair Burt: The Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) has responsibility for collecting data for the Transforming Care Programme since February 2015. Prior to this, data was collected by NHS England from clinical commissioning groups. There was, however, no data collection in January 2015 due to the transfer from NHS England to the HSCIC and the data for June is not yet available.   The following table shows the number of patients who have learning disabilities and/or autism who were receiving inpatient care since February 2015 in an institutional setting. February figures are lower due to data errors as this was during the period that the collection was transferred from NHS England to HSCIC.FebruaryMarchAprilMayLearning disability or autism1,0151,4701,4901,500Autism only190295305315Learning disability and autism400540555565None of the above, but part of the Transforming Care Programme70909595All patients1,6752,3952,4452,475   The following table shows the available information on the number of patients with an agreed transfer date. This information is currently not available broken down by the diagnosis of learning disabilities and/or autism.FebruaryMarchAprilMayAgreed transfer date1,0551,2051,1501,165Not agreed6201,1901,2901,315   On 3 July 2015, NHS England’s Transforming Care Delivery Board published its progress report Transforming Care for People with Learning Disabilities - Next Steps.  Care plans for patients in hospital settings were reviewed using Care and Treatment Reviews (CTRs). This showed that by the end of May 2015, there were over 1,700 people in hospital settings who had received a CTR, with over 650 patients discharged into care and support which best suits their individual needs.

NHS: Data Protection

Marie Rimmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much (a) his Department and (b) the NHS has spent on data protection training and guidance for NHS personnel in each of the last three years for which information is available; and what assessment he (i) has made and (ii) plans to make of the effectiveness of that training and guidance.

George Freeman: The Department has not funded any data protection training or guidance for National Health Service personnel during the last three years. However, the Department, working with NHS England, the Health and Social Care Information Centre, Public Health England and other national health and care organisations recently established the Information Governance Alliance to provide a joined up and consistent approach to providing support and guidance to the NHS on a range of information governance issues, including data protection.   Information about how much NHS organisations spend on data protection training is not collected centrally. While NHS organisations are required to provide training to their staff which incorporates key elements of data protection, each organisation is responsible for determining the type and quantity of training and for enduring that it is effective. No assessment of the effectiveness of local training is made centrally.

Pharmacy: Negligence

Kevin Barron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to consult further with pharmacy representative bodies before bringing forward legislative proposals to decriminalise dispensing errors made by pharmacists.

Kevin Barron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the inadvertent mislabelling of medicines will remain an offence following the Government's legislation to decriminalise dispensing errors.

Kevin Barron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to exclude pharmacists from sanctions resulting from genuine dispensing errors and medicine labelling errors.

Kevin Barron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to amend the law on labelling of medicines in order to decriminalise dispensing errors.

Kevin Barron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of section 85 of the Medicines Act on the willingness of pharmacists to report dispensing errors; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Barron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the effect of his Department's plans for the decriminalisation of dispensing errors on the number of cases brought annually against pharmacists for such errors.

Kevin Barron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to amend section 85 of the Medicines Act 1968, as it relates to medicines labelling, in legislation to decriminalise errors made by pharmacists.

Alistair Burt: The programme board for “rebalancing” medicines legislation and pharmacy regulation is tasked with examining the respective scope of legislation and regulation, and the interface between them, with a view to ensuring these are optimally designed to provide safety for users of pharmacy services, while facilitating and reducing the barriers to responsible development of practice, innovation and a systematic approach to quality in pharmacy. Members of the board, from across the United Kingdom, include representatives from the pharmacy regulators, the professional bodies for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, pharmacy owners, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians from the various sectors of practice and patients and the public.   A UK wide consultation, issued on behalf of the four UK Health Departments, ran from 12 February to 14 May 2015. It sought comments and views on two pharmacy related draft Orders being made under the powers in section 60 of the Health Act 1999. The two pharmacy-related draft Orders are:   - The Pharmacy (Preparation and Dispensing Errors) Order 2015 - The Pharmacy (Premises Standards, Information Obligations, etc.) Order 2015   The responses to the consultation were supportive of the proposals and included many from individual pharmacy professionals (registered pharmacists and registered pharmacy technicians), as well as pharmacy representative bodies, health organisations, patients and the public and others. A report will be published in due course and recommendations made to ministers on next steps.   While retaining the criminal sanction the draft section 60 Order entitled ‘The Pharmacy (Preparation and Dispensing Errors) Order 2015’ provides:   - a defence to prosecution under section 63 (adulteration of medicinal products) of the Medicines Act 1968, in cases of errors where medicines are prepared by a registered pharmacist or a registered pharmacy technician, or under the supervision of a registered pharmacist; - a defence to prosecution under section 64 (medicinal products not of the nature or quality ordered) of the Medicines Act 1968, in cases of errors where medicines are dispensed by a registered pharmacist or registered pharmacy technician, or under the supervision of a registered pharmacist; and - the conditions to be met if the new defences are to apply.   Criminal sanctions will remain in place for dispensing errors falling outside the proposed defences, for example, where pharmacy professionals do not act in the course of their profession by using their professional skills for an improper purpose or deliberately failing to have due regard for patient safety. General criminal law may also apply.   A draft impact assessment was published alongside the consultation on dispensing errors. This will be updated, taking account of the consultation responses.   There was an error made in the transposition of section 85 of the Medicines Act 1968 in part into regulation 269 of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 during consolidation of medicines legislation. A legislative amendment has now been made, which came into force on 1 July 2015, to restore the effect of the original provisions which existed in section 85(5) of Medicines Act 1968, such that the labelling offence applies to businesses and not individuals, such as pharmacists and pharmacy technicians.

General Practitioners: West Yorkshire

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many GP appointments were available in (a) West Yorkshire and (b) Leeds in each of the last five years.

Alistair Burt: The data requested are not collected centrally.

General Practitioners: West Yorkshire

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many GPs were employed in (a) West Yorkshire and (b) Leeds in each of the last five years.

Ben Gummer: The information for all general practitioner (GP) numbers (full-time equivalent) is shown in the following table and is available in General and Personal Medical Services Statistics on the Health and Social Care Information Centre website at:   http://www.hscic.gov.uk/catalogue/PUB16934   All GPs by selected area in England: Full-time equivalent; for years 2010 to 201420102011201220132014   West Yorkshire1,4971,5161,5131,5401,508 Bradford and Airedale Teaching PCT394391384.. Calderdale PCT115113119.. Kirklees PCT232250246.. Leeds PCT506514516.. Wakefield District PCT250248248..NHS Airedale, Wharfedale and Craven CCG...110109 NHS Bradford Districts CCG...249234 NHS Calderdale CCG...115117 NHS Leeds North CCG...123135 NHS Bradford City CCG...6255 NHS Greater Huddersfield CCG...150141 NHS Leeds West CCG...216212 NHS Leeds South and East CCG...164169 NHS North Kirklees CCG...9392 NHS Wakefield CCG...258243   Leeds506514516502517 Leeds PCT506514516..NHS Leeds North CCG...123135 NHS Leeds West CCG...216212 NHS Leeds South and East CCG...164169  Source: The Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC), General and Personal Medical Services Statistics.   Notes: 1. Data as at 30 September for each year. 2. Full-time equivalent GPs are rounded to the nearest whole number. 3. Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) replaced primary care trusts (PCTs) in April 2013. Accordingly, data are provided for the five PCTs that cover the West Yorkshire area for years 2010-12 and the 10 CCGs that cover the West Yorkshire area for years 2013-14. It must be noted that because of the transition between PCTs to CCGs, mapping may not be coterminous in all instances. 4. '.' denotes not applicable.   Data quality: The HSCIC seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data but responsibility for data accuracy lies with the organisations providing the data. Methods are continually being updated to improve data quality where changes impact on figures already published. This is assessed but unless it is significant at national level, figures are not changed. Impact at detailed or local level is footnoted in relevant analyses.

Hospitals: Waste

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with local health authorities on reducing the level of waste in hospitals.

George Freeman: We have interpreted ‘waste in hospitals’ to mean clinical, food and general waste.   Ministerial meetings with national and local National Health Service organisations occur on a regular basis and a wide range of issues are discussed. These discussions may have included waste in hospitals but it is difficult to identify when such specific discussions on this topic occurred.

Glaucoma: Medical Treatments

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department has had discussions with the Royal Colleges on the provision of treatment for glaucoma using hypodermic needles; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: No discussions have taken place between the Department and the Royal Colleges about the provision of treatment for glaucoma using hypodermic needles.   Clinical commissioning groups are responsible for the commissioning of secondary care services to meet the needs of their local population.

Eating Disorders: Young People

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the number of (a) men and (b) women aged 18 to 25 who have eating disorders.

Alistair Burt: The data requested are not available.   The Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (2007) found 6.1% of males and 20.3% of females aged 16-24 who responded to the survey screened positively for an eating disorder. The Survey does not translate these data to national estimates on the prevalence of eating disorders in adults.

Health Professions: Regulation

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) officials in his Department have had with other Government departments on introducing the Law Commission Bill on regulation of health and social care professions for parliamentary consideration; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Gummer: Ministers, special advisers and officials have had a range of discussions with their counterparts in other Government departments, in particular the Department for Education and the Cabinet Office. The Government is considering how the Law Commissions’ work can best be taken forward.

Health Services

Marie Rimmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) NHS establishments, (b) private and medical establishments and (c) registered medical practitioners operate in the UK; how many such establishments or practitioners process personal data for which notification or registration with the Information Commissioner is required; and what estimate he has made of how much revenue has been generated by registered medical practitioners in the UK from processing personal data in each of the last three years.

George Freeman: The Care Quality Commission regulates health and adult social care providers in England and has published data about the number of organisations it regulates in its business plan, which is available at:   http://www.cqc.org.uk/content/business-plan-shaping-future   The Data Protection Act 1998 requires every organisation in England that processes personal information to register with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), unless they are exempt.   Information about the number of health and care organisations required to register with the ICO is not held centrally.   Information about how much revenue has been generated by registered medical practitioners in the United Kingdom from processing personal data is not held centrally.

Health Services: Data Protection

Marie Rimmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what support and guidance has been provided by his Department and the NHS to ensure that (a) NHS establishments, (b) private and medical establishments, (c) registered medical practitioners and (d) medical practitioner regulatory bodies are aware of their obligations under the Data Protection Act; and what plans he has to provide such support and guidance to each of those entities.

George Freeman: Each National Health Service organisation, private medical organisation and general practitioner (GP) practice is a Data Controller and responsible for ensuring compliance with the Data Protection Act 1998.   In addition to their legal responsibilities, these organisations are also subject to contractual obligations for data protection. Most NHS organisations, including non-NHS organisations providing NHS services are required to complete an annual assessment of information governance practice using the Department’s online Information Governance Toolkit to provide assurance of compliance. The Health and Social Care Information Centre provides an online Information Governance Training Tool which covers the Data Protection Act as well as other relevant law and legislation. This Training can be found at:   https://www.igtt.hscic.gov.uk/igte/index.cfm   Members of the public can view an organisation's annual report.   NHS England has provided specific Data Protection Act guidance to commissioners and GPs/primary care on data processing for risk stratification, invoice validation, fair processing, identity verification (for patient on-line services) and safeguarding. Specific NHS England programmes include work on Data Protection, alongside other relevant issues. Further guidance is in development to support organisations delivering primary care innovation under the Prime Minister's Challenge Fund. NHS England also provides dedicated Information Governance support for this programme to deal with day to day issues and strategic direction.   Medical practitioner regulatory bodies are independent of Government and it would be inappropriate for the Department to influence their work in this area.

Bacterial Diseases: Mortality Rates

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Answer of 25 November 2014 to Question 215524, when Public Health England intends to publish data on the mortality rate for deaths in 2013 involving (a) C. difficile and (b) MRSA in (i) England and (ii) each NHS trust.

Ben Gummer: Public Health England intends to publish 30-day all-cause mortality following methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteraemia, methicillin sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) bacteraemia, Escherichia coli bacteraemia and Clostridium difficile infection in the autumn. Data will be broken down by National Health Service region and patient age and gender.

Carers: Living Wage

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the additional annual costs to councils of paying the National Living Wage to care workers employed by private firms to provide adult social care services for local authorities from April 2016.

Alistair Burt: The impact of the new National Living Wage on local authority finances will be considered during the Spending Review as part of an overall assessment of spending pressures on local authorities.

NHS Trusts: Executives

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many NHS Trust chief executives hold a qualification in healthcare management; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Gummer: This information is not held centrally.

NHS: Training

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will place in the Library copies of the syllabus and teaching materials for the (a) Edward Jenner, (b) Nye Bevan, (c) Mary Seacole, (d) Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, (e) The Director, (f) Ready Now, (g) Senior Operational Leaders and (h) Intersect systems leadership programme.

Ben Gummer: This information is held by the NHS Leadership Academy and not the Department. We understand that the view of the NHS Leadership Academy is that the information should not be released as it is considered to be commercially sensitive.

Health Services: Social Services

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to improve the co-ordination and efficiency of health and social care; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: In 2015/16, the £5.3 billion Better Care Fund is bringing together local authority and National Health Service budgets in every area in England. With health and social care funds combined in pooled budgets, local leaders and clinical experts have worked alongside each other to plan and commission joined-up services across all aspects of the local health and care economy. This coordinated way of working is intended to help areas to deliver services that better fit the needs of their local population, as well as to ensure that the most can be made of the resources available.

Hospital Beds

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of cross-charging in reducing bed-blocking; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The Department consulted on changes to delayed discharge processes, including arrangements for the National Health Service to claim reimbursement for any delays attributed to a local authority, as part of its broader consultation on the draft regulations and statutory guidance underpinning Part 1 of the Care Act 2014.   The responses to the consultation indicated that, whilst reimbursement arrangements may have a role to play, the focus should be on better integration between health and social care and the development of mechanisms such as the Better Care Fund to achieve this, and that reimbursement should be permissive rather than mandatory. As a result, new provisions are laid under the Care Act 2014.   The £5.3 billion Better Care Fund will support areas to join up health and social care and to change the way that services are delivered, and includes a strong focus on reducing the number of unnecessary days spent by people in hospital.

Health Services: Social Services

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what data his Department collects on the state and quality of health and social care co-ordination; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: Currently, an integrated health and social care scorecard on the MyNHS website shows performance on the four core metrics used for the Better Care Fund:   - Total non-elective admissions (general and acute) per 100,000 population; - Total permanent admissions to residential and nursing care per 100,000 population of people aged 65 and over; - Proportion of older people still at home 91 days after discharge from hospital into reablement/rehabilitation services; and - Delayed transfers of care (total delayed days) from hospital.   The scorecard can be found at:   https://www.nhs.uk/Service-Search/performance/Results?ResultsViewId=1041   The data presented here relates to the performance of health and social care services provided within the area covered by each of the 151 Health and Wellbeing Boards.   On 1 July during the Local Government Association annual conference, my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health announced a new set of unified metrics for the integration of health and social care.   The metrics will consist of a range of indicators that can measure how areas are progressing in relation to the integration of health and care services, including the impact of integration on service provision and individual experience. They will be used as a tool for areas to check on their progress towards a fully integrated health and social care system, to compare this progress to other local areas, and will allow best practice from those areas progressing well to be shared across the system. All areas should be baselined and benchmarked nationally by December 2015.

Dental Services: Waiting Lists

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people were on waiting lists to be registered with NHS dentists in (a) Ashfield constituency, (b) Nottinghamshire and (c) England in each year since 2008.

Alistair Burt: The data on waiting lists to see a dentist in England is not held centrally. Some practices may hold waiting lists for patients wanting to access a National Health Service dentist, but these will be held at practice level. However, since 2010, the Dental Statistics from the GP Patient Survey provide information on the number of people who tried to make an appointment with an NHS dentist in the previous two years and said they had been successful. The information can be found in the attached table. 



Successful NHS dental appointments 2010-15
(Excel SpreadSheet, 13.91 KB)

General Practitioners: Finance

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many and what proportion of GP practices in (a) England, (b) London, (c) the London Borough of Islington and (d) Islington South and Finsbury constituency have received funding from (i) the Prime Minister's Challenge Fund and (ii) the Primary Care Infrastructure Fund.

Alistair Burt: The numbers and proportions of general practitioner (GP) practices that are part of a wave one or wave two Prime Minister’s GP Access Fund (known formerly as the PM Challenge Fund) scheme are: (a) In England – 2637, which is 33.5% of the number of practices at 30 September 2014 (b) In London – 724, which is 51% of the number of practices at 30 September 2014 (c) In the London borough of Islington – 33, which is 92% of the number of practices at 30 September 2014 (d) In the Islington South and Finsbury constituency – 16, which is 89% of the number of practices at 30 September 2014   The numbers and proportion of GP practices with indicative funding approval from the Primary Care Infrastructure Fund in 2015/16 are as follows:   (a) In England, 721 – which is 9.2% of the number of practices at 30 September, 2014 (b) In London, 182 – which is 12.4% of the number of practices at 30 September, 2014 (c) In the London Borough of Islington (Islington Clinical Commissioning Group), 2 – which is 5.6% of the number of practices at 30 September 2014 (d) In the Islington South and Finsbury Constituency, 1 – which is 5.6% of the number of practices at 30 September 2014

Eyesight: Testing

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people applied for free NHS sight test vouchers in each of the last five years; and how many such applications were successful.

Alistair Burt: Only data on free National Health Service sight tests actually provided is collected. Eligible patients may apply, and receive an NHS sight test, at any optical practice holding an NHS contract, providing the sight test is clinically necessary.   The table attached shows the number of NHS sight tests provided in England between 2009/10 and 2013/14. This information has been extracted from the report, General Ophthalmic Services: Activity Statistics for England – 2013/14. This report is available on the Health and Social Care Information Centre website at:   http://www.hscic.gov.uk/searchcatalogue?productid=15062&topics=1%2fPrimary+care+services%2fEye+care+services&sort=Relevance&size=10&page=1#top 



NHS sight tests, England 2009-10 to 2013-14
(Word Document, 15.97 KB)

Solihull Hospital

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to improve (a) access to and (b) facilities for phlebotomy services for elderly and vulnerable people at Solihull Hospital.

Ben Gummer: This is an operational matter for the Foundation Trust.   We have written to Mr Les Lawrence, Chair of the Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust informing him of the hon. Member’s enquiry. He will reply shortly and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library.

General Practitioners: Overseas Workers

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of UK-trained GPs who opted to practice overseas on completing their training in each of the last 10 years.

Ben Gummer: The Department does not collect this information.

General Practitioners: Resignations

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of (a) male and (b) female GPs who left the profession, for reasons other than retirement, in each of the last 10 years.

Ben Gummer: No estimate has been made of the number of male and female general practitioners who left the profession, for reasons other than retirement, in each of the last 10 years.

General Practitioners: Contracts

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many new (a) General Medical Services, (b) Personal Medical Services and (c) Alternative Provider Medical Services contracts were agreed with GP practices in (i) England, (ii) London, (iii) the London Borough of Islington and (iv) Islington South and Finsbury constituency in each of the last five years.

Alistair Burt: This information is not collected centrally.   In terms of the total for England, numbers of new contracts agreed with GP practices is not collected nationally.

General Practitioners: Wales

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to monitor the introduction in Wales of an 18-month training placement for general practice during which trainees will be salaried directly by the Welsh NHS; and whether he plans to introduce such measures in England.

Ben Gummer: Health services are a devolved matter with each United Kingdom country responsible for ensuring they have a workforce that is equipped to deliver high quality patient care. However, the four UK countries are committed to working together to ensure, where appropriate, Workforce Education and Training policies are aligned.   General practice trainees in England are already required to undertake 18 month placements in general practice as part of their postgraduate specialty training. Currently, general practices that provide training do not contribute to that trainee’s salary, which is funded by Health Education England. General practices are also given a general practitioner trainers grant to contribute towards the cost of training.

Dental Services

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many NHS dentists were registered in (a) Ashfield, (b) Nottinghamshire and (c) England in each year since 2008.

Alistair Burt: The table below provides the numbers of dentists with National Health Service activity for each year since 2008 in England. Nottinghamshire and Ashfield is broken down by strategic health authority (SHA) and primary care trusts (PCTs) up to year ending 2012/13. Figures are available for Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Area Team and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) for year ending 2013/14.   Number of dentists with NHS activity for each year ending 31 March National2007-082008-092009-102010-112011-122012-132013-14England20,81521,34322,00322,79922,92023,20123,723   Strategic HealthAuthority/PrimaryCare Trust2007-082008-092009-102010-112011-122012-132013-14East MidlandsSHA1,7411,7701,8291,9301,8951,911..of which Nottinghamshire organisations   Nottingham CityPCT145142147164158173..NottinghamshireCounty TeachingPCT307322331335318312..   NHS England AreaTeam/CCG2007-082008-092009-102010-112011-122012-132013-14Derbyshire andNottinghamshireArea Team............915of which Nottinghamshire organisations   NHS Mansfield andAshfield CCG............87NHS Newark andSherwood CCG............50NHS NottinghamCity CCG............192NHS NottinghamNorth and EastCCG............107NHS NottinghamWest CCG............57NHS RushcliffeCCG............65   Sources: Health and Social Care Information Centre, NHS Dental Services of the NHS Business Services Authority   Notes:   1. Dentists are defined as performers with NHS activity recorded by FP17 forms.   2. Dentists will be counted more than once if they have a contract in more than one organisation. England totals exclude duplication.   3. Data consists of performers in General Dental Services, Personal Dental Services and Trust-led Dental Services.   4. ‘..’ denotes data not applicable   5. As at 1 April 2013 Area Teams and CCGs replaced SHAs and PCTs. Data are not directly comparable.